essay - GMAT: Issue 12

"When someone achieves greatness in any field―such as the arts, science, politics, or business―that person's achievements are more important than any of his or her personal faults."

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

Answer:
I believe that great achievements should be followed by personal excellence. Even though a person achieves greatness in a certain field, if the person has serious faults in his personality, the achievement will and should not be admired. This belief comes from several points of view.

First, admitting that achievements are more important than any of personal faults results in a phenomenon that success is only a matter for life. This leads to deteriorating situations. People would pursue only their own successes, not reflecting their personalities. People would not try to improve their personalities. People would hate each other and not be able to live with peaceful minds. In my country, Japan, a strong, young boxer once provoked controversy owning to his personal fault, that is, arrogance. People at a time noticed that his attitude -- showing extensive assaults against others -- had a bad effect toward young people. As a result, he was ousted from the boxing world.

Second, I believe that true achievements come true after people have personal excellence, at least, after people have inclination of improving the personality. Of course, sometimes, a wonderful painting, an astonishing new scientific finding, or a great sales result is produced by a person who doesn't have such traits. I believe, however, that almost all achievements are created by persons who have personal excellence or disposition of pursuing it, even though he or she is not perfect. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Carnegie Melon, Jack Welch, and other achievers in the business world all have personal excellence, even though they might not be perfect. For instance, Bill Gates, a founder of a giant computer company, Microsoft, became a chairman of a foundation that he founded after quitting his job at Microsoft. I think that his attitude is great.

To sum up, I'd like to insist that personal excellence comes first, and an achievement in a particular field comes second. If you have an intention to improve your personality, you will achieve something great in your field, and then it will acquire admiration from people around you for sure.